


I Wanted You to Find Me

by the_irydioner



Category: Game of Thrones (Video Game 2014)
Genre: Childhood, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M, Fluff, Growing Up, sibling shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-14 04:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4550658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_irydioner/pseuds/the_irydioner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“Mira likes ‘laena,” the little girl had whispered in his ear, still hiding giggles behind her tiny hands.</i><br/><i>Rodrik had smiled at that.</i><br/><i>Pretty, and owning Asher at her first try? This girl was <b>something</b>.</i><br/> <br/>The lord in training, the daughter of the Rills, and moments in time through the years - from growing up together to war and the game's canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i. first impressions

 

 

The ironwood grove has kind of been their thing since day one – a gloomy, typically Northern sunless one, as he remembers it, but filled with shrill laughter as he and Asher had been running after one another among the towering trees, with their baby sister in pursuit.

“Bad Ash-Ash and Rod-Rod! They not wait for Mira. They _arseholes_!”

“Wherever did you learn _that_ from, Mira?” Rodrik had widened his eyes at the indignant little girl in shock, and then immediately narrowed them at his brother.

“What? Why must it always be _my_ fault?” the blond boy had put his best innocent face on, but Rodrik hadn’t been fooled. ‘Innocence’ and ‘Asher’ were concepts as foreign to one another as the ice on the Wall was to the sands of Dorne.

“Because it usually _is_ , Ash.”

Asher had only grinned one of his infuriating smug grins in response. “Ooooh, now I’m so scared. What is the ‘lord in training’ going to do to me? Ple- _eease_ , Mira, save me from his dooming wrath!”

That and a perfectly timed wink in her direction (no one could say Asher didn’t have talent for the dramatics) had been enough to send the small girl into a fit of giggling, her previous pout already forgotten; and Rodrik had been willing enough to put up with his brother’s endless pranking if only for her sake. After all, being a lord was often about putting up with people who annoyed you (and whose last name was most likely going to be Whitehill), as his father liked to remind him every now and then.

“Come here, brother, and I will be happy to show you _exactly_ what I’d do,” he’d smiled back, deceptively sweet but with eyes still narrowed dangerously.

“Ha! You’ll have to catch me first, your lordship!”

With that Asher had sprinted away again, and Rodrik would never have been able to catch up with him while also having to carry Mira with him on his back _–and that had been his brother’s plan precisely, he was sure–_ until the fugitive Forrester had bumped straight into an unexpected presence in their solitary grove: Lord Gregor’s guest, there to admire their famed trees alongside their proud father.

“Guess yer stories of little faerie creatures inhabiting yer woods aren’t that far-fetched after all, ey?” Lord Glenmore had joked, good-naturedly ruffling Mira’s dark locks as she shyly hid her face into Rodrik’s neck. “Ah, this lass is going to be a pretty one too, Gregor. And I think my Elaena will enjoy finally having a lady friend to play with – won’t ye, little bird?”

It was only then that Rodrik had noticed the girl standing very calmly and composedly next to the Rill lord, studying them all with lively green eyes. In his mind he could see why he hadn’t, too awed at first approach by the stout, imposing figure of her father; but at the same time he couldn’t fathom why in the name of the old gods and new it had taken him so long to see her, either. She might not have been graced with the bright, flamey red hair that made Lord Glenmore immediately stand out amongst the dominant blues and greens of their home landscape; but he found that the rich brown of her loose braid, coupled with the vivid green of her eyes, reminded him so much of this forest he considered home as much as their Ironrath keep – and that this made her quite _beautiful_.

It was the strangest of feelings, but…it felt like she _belonged_ there already – and Rodrik felt quite sure he wanted to keep things that way.

“Father, I’ve been growing up with Quiver – I could handle more boys as friends,” the girl, Elaena, had first matter-of-factly told her father – save apparently considering something afterwards, which prompted her to smile brightly at the youngest Forrester child. “But I am very happy to meet you, Lady Mira,” she added, mimicking a perfect little curtsy which made the little girl beam happily at her, all traces of shyness discarded as easily as her previous outrage with her older brothers.

Of course Asher couldn’t have resisted a smartass intervention when he saw the opportunity for one, regardless of the elders’ presence. “Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m told I’m quite a handful, for one” he chimed in, crossing his arms and sporting another one of his best arrogant grins.

Rodrik had rolled his eyes at his brother’s oh-so-very-obvious attempt to impress – but Elaena had seemed surprisingly very much immune to his charm.

“Anything that talks before it thinks, I can handle quite fine.”

Asher’s astonished face had been so priceless that no one, not even the adults, had been able to hold back their laughter, and even Lord Glenmore’s rebuke to his daughter had sounded half-muffled with mirth.

“Elaena! Behave!”

The girl had only smiled nonchalantly, and repeated another impeccable curtsy to the still stunned Forrester.

“Lord Asher.”

For a moment her gleeful green eyes had quivered in Rodrik and Mira’s direction; and though he knew her smile was probably meant more for his little sister’s sake, in that moment Rodrik’s chest had felt warmer.

“Mira likes ‘laena,” the little girl had whispered in his ear, still hiding giggles behind her tiny hands.

Rodrik had smiled at that.

Pretty, _and_ owning Asher at her first try? This girl was _something_.

_As do I, Mira. As do I._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Childhood sweethearts pairings are the utter death of me - so as soon as these two mentioned the grove and using to play together as kids back in ep.2, I knew I was sold for good. I won't apologize for the ridiculous fluffiness of this thing; this game is depressing enough and I can't have that in writing as well ;_;  
>  No idea how many chapters this will have atm, I have a few scenarios in mind but I am not sure. Hopefully someone will actually want to sit and read through this and let me know their thoughts. ^^


	2. ii. hide and seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hide and seek in the grove can turn very wrong when you have a prankster for a brother; however, more often than not, a game is not so much about winning but whom you play it with.  
> (aka, a childhood fic with these characters _not_ featuring a hide-and-seek session was always out of the question)

 

Gared was counting; and the whole grove echoed of rustling leaves and hurried footsteps as the other children searched for the perfect hiding place.

Elaena was hiding behind her favourite tree, the ironwood so wrinkled it almost looked like rain had carved its own tiny rivers and meanders while falling down on it. From her position, she could see Mira adjusting as best as she could behind a large, strategic rock, and her brother Arthur trying to climb a particularly leafy tree where he could not be seen. Before disappearing into the green top, he turned exactly in her direction, as if he knew he’d find her right where she was, and winked at her conspiratorially.

_How in the name of the Seven did he know…?_

“You cannot hide here!”

The sharp, unexpected whisper behind her made her jump, and she couldn’t help the note of irritation in her voice while turning slightly to face the intruder on her carefully planned hideout.

“Is that a command, _my lord_?”

Rodrik flashed her a lopsided smile, ignoring her obvious annoyance. “Everyone knows you like hiding here,” he whispered on, face leaning out a nearby tree. “It will be the first place they’ll think on checking. And Gared is the best at finding us out, too.”

Elaena narrowed her eyes at him. That would explain Arthur…but she was still unconvinced. “If it is such common knowledge, how come _you_ never find me when you’re counting?”

Rodrik’s eyes widened slightly at the question, and he quickly averted them in embarrassment, hoping that the sudden heat he felt rising to his cheeks wouldn’t betray him. He couldn’t answer her that one…how could he _possibly_ tell her that he knew, but pretended not to so she could win at least on his watch?

“Well…that’s…that’s not important. And Gared is almost finished. We must go _now_!”

One moment she was still clinging onto her tree, absently tracing the familiar wrinkles with one hand; and the next, she was off running again amongst bushes and bright green ferns, that very hand gripped firmly in Rodrik’s. Through his grasp, she could feel the in-bred decisiveness he got from his hard training, but also a tremor of excitement for the game, a spontaneous energy that came all from the boy that was her friend and not at all from the lord-to-be; and Elaena couldn’t help but think that it was really nice to see him so uncharacteristically carefree and _himself_ – just Rodrik, and not the serious young lord he often ought to be – if only for the duration of their game. In that moment she felt like she could’ve followed him anywhere he wanted if it meant spending more time with him like this, before his father and studies and duties absorbed him again; and if their hand-holding was making her feel unnervingly flustered, she didn’t even have much time to dwell on it, because now Gared’s loud numbers echoing in the background had ceased and they _really_ needed to hurry.

When she actually saw where he intended for them to hide, however, much of that eagerness vanished into thin air like a puff of smoke.

“…You cannot be serious,” she finally blurted, eyes wide and her earlier frown back into place. “ _This_ is what you had me abandon my tree for?”

“Why not? It’s perfect!” Rodrik walked closer to the fallen trunk and the small dark cavity it formed between the rocks sustaining its weight. “No one will think of looking here in such narrow a space, and we can spy whatever Gared is doing through that hole,” he gestured towards the light filtering under the old log through a tiny opening between rocks.

Elaena stubbornly crossed her arms and stood her ground. “I’m _not_ crawling under there.”

“Come on, Elaena, it’s perfectly safe, I promise!”

“Easy for you to say. It’s not your mother who’ll get impossibly angry if you make a muddy mess out of the new dress she’s just finished sewing for you!”

Infuriatingly, Rodrik only laughed softly at that. “Well, perhaps you shouldn’t have worn it to play hide-and-seek then, m’lady.”

Unfortunately, he did have a point; but Elaena wasn’t about to concede just like that, even if she’d run out of excuses – and she could hear the low bushes nearby rustling while Gared searched through them, closer and closer to their location.

“I _really_ hate you, Rodrik Forrester, you know that?”

For an instant she thought she saw a flash of hurt crossing his eyes at her words, but it was so brief she felt she must have imagined it. “Aye, whatever…but you still need a hideout more and now you haven’t the time to find another,” he grinned triumphantly at her again, looking so much like a darker-haired version of his younger brother in that moment that all she wanted to do was slap that knowing smile off his face.

The crackling of leaves had grown closer still; it didn’t seem like she had much choice now anyway.

“Hmpf. Fine, have it your way, _cocky Rodrik_ ,” she huffed, borrowing the nickname she’d heard bouncing back and forth among Lord Forrester’s other squires – in moments like these, she could totally see where it came from. “Just please, wipe that Asher cat-grin from your face – really doesn’t suit ya,” she grumbled on while gathering her skirts about her and diving under the old log against her better judgement.

(She could practically feel the mud sticking everywhere on her dress already – and grimaced while imagining the consequent scowl on her lady mother’s face when she saw her like this. So much for being the perfect young lady.)

She heard Rodrik stifling a laugh at that while crawling under beside her; then, just as they had sort of adjusted to the very narrow space they had, squished against each other in the dark safety of their refuge, she widened her eyes in suddenly feeling his hand pressed gently on her mouth. They stayed unbelievably still, listening to Gared’s footsteps circling their area, wandering no more than a stone’s throw from their hiding place, closer then a bit farther then impossibly close again – the rush of adrenaline from the game back in full force and stealing away all their focus. She watched as Rodrik carefully spied the situation from their little hole between rocks, his blue eyes alert and glinting in the filtering light from outside, while she breathed her tension against the palm of his hand.

It was as if time had suspended, and they wouldn’t have known if they had been frozen like that for minutes or hours; but then the padding grew fainter and fainter, the crumbling of fallen leaves muffled and more distant, and they could breathe again.

“Seems like your plan has worked after all, Lord strategist,” Elaena jokingly whispered, unable to hide how unexpectedly impressed she felt – and trying not to focus on how her lips were still tingling strangely from Rodrik’s feather-like touch. His head snapped up at her words, and he just beamed at her; and she couldn’t help but return the smile, sharing in their combined excitement.

They were so engrossed in their momentary glee that they didn’t notice at all that they weren’t alone anymore – not until it was too late.

“Whoa, look what I found! Aren’t you two lucky I’m not Tuttle?”

The unexpected intrusion made them both jump and nearly bump their heads in the trunk above, much to the enjoyment of its cause, laughing from above at their disconcert.

“Goddammit Asher, I swear one day I’ll–”

“Or perhaps not so lucky after all,” Asher ignored his brother completely, still following his train of thought, and then grinned mischievously – which was never a good sign. “Just wait until Father hears of this!”

Elaena narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed. “What are you on about, Asher? You’ll get us all caught!” she hissed, trying to no avail to get him to be quiet.

“Oh, you know…my brother, with you…alone, in the dark… _doing things_ …I’m sure Father wouldn’t appreciate his sons ‘dishonouring guests’, you see” the blond boy explained with a smirk, doing his best Gregor voice while speaking of dishonor.

Elaena felt the strongest rush of heat creeping up her neck at his words, and thanked the heavens and every god existent for the darkness of their alcove – even though she needed no light to feel Rodrik’s mirroring embarrassment and outrage radiating off him in big waves, and to picture his face every inch as beet-red as hers probably was.

“I was _not_ – We were **_not_** –”

“Who’s going to be Father’s perfect child then, huh?” Asher mercilessly kept teasing, before his laughing head disappeared outside again; at that, Rodrik only growled and launched himself after him in angry pursuit.

“Rodrik, no–” she tried to calm him down, to no avail; she was too late, and all she could do was crawl after him, struggling to slide out from under their log…only to find out that Asher was nowhere to be found – but _Gared_ was, and was now looking at the both of them from a small distance through puzzled brown eyes.

“Um…not to offend, m’lord, m’lady, but ye kind of spoil the fun if ye come out on yer own,” the younger boy joked awkwardly, trying to dissimulate the uncomfortable silence that followed.

Elaena could feel Rodrik forcing deep breaths in and out beside her, eyes closed in concentration, in an attempt to calm himself.

“I am going to _kill_ him.”

“He doesn’t mean you, Gared” the girl smiled reassuringly at the other boy, whose face was already morphing into worry.

“Oh, well, that’s a comfort,” the pig-farmer laughed, nervously scratching his head; then he smiled at them more genuinely. “Wanna help me find the others?”

“ _With pleasure_ ,” they answered together, with a grim determination that made Gared laugh and sent him off searching again with his head shaking. Before following him, Elaena took a moment to assess her situation – more specifically, the situation of her dress, which wasn’t looking good by all standards. Oh yes, she was going to be in _so_ much trouble; but, strangely, she couldn’t say she regretted a single thing from that disastrous hide-and-seek session.

Rodrik, however, sounded truly mortified. “I’m…sorry about this, Elaena. I probably should’ve just left you alone.”

“Aye, you probably should have,” she nodded in her best I-told-you-so fashion; but then saw he was looking away, quite crestfallen, and couldn’t possibly get that she meant it as a joke. She furrowed her brow in consternation; she would have none of that – not when he had been enjoying himself so much just a few minutes prior.

Not when him seeking her out was, in truth, something she held dear to her heart.

“But I…I didn’t mind. It was fun. And Rodrik?”

She hesitated only briefly, before damning it all, nervousness and embarrassment and Asher’s taunts from before – everything. She stepped closer to him and took his hand firmly into hers.

“I don’t hate you. Not really. I’m…not sure I could,” she added with a small smile – and a whole more widespread blush slightly staining her cheeks.

He remained still as a statue for the longest of moments, looking at their joined hands with wide eyes; then he lifted them into hers, and the answering smile sprouting on his lips was so bright that it lit them both like blue ironwood torches.

He mirrored her grip with his own. “Let’s go find my brother.”

She entwined their fingers, and her own smile turned conspiratorial – and just the tiniest bit vindictive – as she answered.

“Let’s.”

 


End file.
